made another PIF! Right click, save as, follow the TERMS.
No stealing, no altering, no reselling, no claiming as your own. Thank you for respecting my copyrights, infringers will be peed on by the 4 chihuahuas:(
T♥
Want to advertise at the top of this blog? Just purchase directly via PayPal below and your ad will be up within 24 hours. Ad size should be 125x125 pixels in html format (free help available).
Please contact me via email if you have any questions.Contact Graphic Design by Tara
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
And yet, another PIF!
I've been feeling really generous with all this time I've given myself to relax this week. So, I
made another PIF! Right click, save as, follow the TERMS.
No stealing, no altering, no reselling, no claiming as your own. Thank you for respecting my copyrights, infringers will be peed on by the 4 chihuahuas:(
T♥
made another PIF! Right click, save as, follow the TERMS.
No stealing, no altering, no reselling, no claiming as your own. Thank you for respecting my copyrights, infringers will be peed on by the 4 chihuahuas:(
T♥
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Grey skies are gonna clear up..
put on a happy face! Yes, it's all frickin' coming together! After years of bad web hosting and the most glitchy code you ever tried to change, I have finally found a nice home for my website.
Graphic Design by Tara
Same domain, more samples, info., and navigation ease! Not only that, but you can now purchase directly from me. This means less fees, faster service, and no site hold ups!
Why not sign my guest book while you are there?
Graphic Design by Tara Guest Book
Of course all of my 0ther sites are still available, but this is just one more way to reach me.
Graphic Design by Tara Etsy
Graphic Design by Tara Elance
The above 2 are your other best bets for great prices, variety, and feedback.
Thanks for reading and all of your support!
T♥
Graphic Design by Tara
Same domain, more samples, info., and navigation ease! Not only that, but you can now purchase directly from me. This means less fees, faster service, and no site hold ups!
Why not sign my guest book while you are there?
Graphic Design by Tara Guest Book
Of course all of my 0ther sites are still available, but this is just one more way to reach me.
Graphic Design by Tara Etsy
Graphic Design by Tara Elance
The above 2 are your other best bets for great prices, variety, and feedback.
Thanks for reading and all of your support!
T♥
Sunday, July 25, 2010
"Life Is Beautiful"
PIF in a treasury...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c4ca09eea126d91f3c23800/positive-pifs
The great news? Wherever you find it, here there, Etsy shop, you can just right click save! Remember if you alter it, use it for a link, resell, and/or claim as your own, 4 psycho chihuahuas who haven't had a walk in a month will come and get you!
Thanks mucho http://www.etsy.com/shop/whatshername for the treasury props!
T♥
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c4ca09eea126d91f3c23800/positive-pifs
The great news? Wherever you find it, here there, Etsy shop, you can just right click save! Remember if you alter it, use it for a link, resell, and/or claim as your own, 4 psycho chihuahuas who haven't had a walk in a month will come and get you!
Thanks mucho http://www.etsy.com/shop/whatshername for the treasury props!
T♥
Friday, July 23, 2010
Pass the sugar...
Okay, it's more of a PIF, but you get the gist of it. Right copy click to save and voila! You have your own .jpg of this yummy boutique treat!
"Terms of Use"
Since some unsavory people out there like to steal other people's work, claim it as their own, and/or sell it. I have to put this disclaimer...
Words and design are solely my property alone. You may copy this and use it for your own blog, website, etc. credit is not necessary but always appreciated. This image cannot be used as a link base. Although you are encouraged to send it to anyone you like, please be aware that it is not intended for resale or to be altered, so please let them know this. Under NO circumstances can you sell this in any format or claim it as your own original design. Usage for personal scrapbooks, crafts, etc. is more than okay☺
So you ask, "Tara, what inspires you to constantly make sugary treats?" Answer: I am so in LOVE w/frosting that if frosting were available I would marry it! I can't eat it by the tub anymore, so I have to get it where I can. I am an avid watcher of all those cupcake and cake decorating shows on t.v. and it's like dessert porn for me!
Thanks again for reading!
T♥
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Timing is EVERYTHING!
And yet another thing we must all overcome.. When it rains it pours and the rest of the time is just one big hot dry spell! How to manage the ups and downs and craziness of your business.
So what can you do to try and balance all of your projects, marketing, life, etc.? First, set up those boundaries! You will not do what I do and end up working 24/7 and let your house get dirty and your kids forget to shower! Make a schedule now of the only times you are allowed to work and really, really, try to stick to it. Family and pets first I always say! Then I put the kids to bed and work all night on the computer! lol
Give yourself time for possible projects. If you take on a lot of projects at once, don't promise something you can't deliver. Always estimate extra time in case you get hit with a lot of work at once. For example, I freelance with 6 sites, (not including my Etsy shop:) and I submit bids to Craigslist listings and another search engine for graphic design jobs. Sometimes I even get hits from my portfolio. I never know when there will be a ton of work and how many people need it whenever and how many needed it yesterday. I've finally learned to give myself a little leeway and estimate my time accordingly. If everything is done for the day, I may take on a small project to pass the time. But otherwise I have to give anything that isn't ASAP a week. I used to tell everyone 1-3 days which was ridiculous!
If it takes you a bit longer to get things done or you have an actual life outside your work, you may just want to take entire days off from bidding or choose your projects accordingly.
As far as marketing and mingling goes, I try to fit it in while I'm sitting here. But maybe set aside a day or block of time so you can just concentrate on all the work that goes into signing up for sites and adding potential clients to your profiles. I don't do Facebook and Twitter because it's time consuming and not really important to my business. But LinkedIn and DeviantArt are probably a good place to start for you if you are in the Graphics business. And of course you will need a blog! lol
Thanks for reading, more soon..
T♥
So what can you do to try and balance all of your projects, marketing, life, etc.? First, set up those boundaries! You will not do what I do and end up working 24/7 and let your house get dirty and your kids forget to shower! Make a schedule now of the only times you are allowed to work and really, really, try to stick to it. Family and pets first I always say! Then I put the kids to bed and work all night on the computer! lol
Give yourself time for possible projects. If you take on a lot of projects at once, don't promise something you can't deliver. Always estimate extra time in case you get hit with a lot of work at once. For example, I freelance with 6 sites, (not including my Etsy shop:) and I submit bids to Craigslist listings and another search engine for graphic design jobs. Sometimes I even get hits from my portfolio. I never know when there will be a ton of work and how many people need it whenever and how many needed it yesterday. I've finally learned to give myself a little leeway and estimate my time accordingly. If everything is done for the day, I may take on a small project to pass the time. But otherwise I have to give anything that isn't ASAP a week. I used to tell everyone 1-3 days which was ridiculous!
If it takes you a bit longer to get things done or you have an actual life outside your work, you may just want to take entire days off from bidding or choose your projects accordingly.
As far as marketing and mingling goes, I try to fit it in while I'm sitting here. But maybe set aside a day or block of time so you can just concentrate on all the work that goes into signing up for sites and adding potential clients to your profiles. I don't do Facebook and Twitter because it's time consuming and not really important to my business. But LinkedIn and DeviantArt are probably a good place to start for you if you are in the Graphics business. And of course you will need a blog! lol
Thanks for reading, more soon..
T♥
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Questions, Questions, etc.
Please file this under "The Perils and Pitfalls of Graphic Design" and/or any custom service. One very important talent in Graphic Design customer service that I am constantly working on is extracting the information you will need from your client. It's not the client's fault, they are excited and have a million ideas swimming around in their heads. Tons of images and web links are sent and it's up to us as the designers to piece it all together. So I've come up with a quick list of important questions for you to ask...
What formats and sizes will you need for each piece of this package. If you don’t know at this point we can discuss it when I start.
Where will you be using the logo?
Where/how will you print out your business cards, letterhead, and envelopes?
Will you be editing these elements yourself once you receive them? What programs do you intend to use for this?
Exact wording for every piece of this package including logo.
Color and font style preference (Such as Script, Print, Handwriting, or Actual Font).
All site addresses, files, and information that are relevant.
Graphic Ideas/Preferences
Will you be copyrighting this logo?
Short Summary of Business
Email Address
Phone Number if you wish to correspond this way.
How soon do you need this completed?
Anything else you feel I should know regarding your design needs.
No matter what you do nothing will cover everything that is in the client's head. So out of all of the questions here you need to really remember to get answers to these three;
What formats do you need?
Will you be revising this yourself?
Do you plan on copyrighting this image?
Otherwise, there is going to be a HUGE problem that will take hours to fix after completing your project.
Sometimes you will have a client who just flat out refuses to put in writing what they want/expect. Or only partially answers these questions. I usually like to speak with them on the phone in this case. When asking questions it helps to take notes (like in the pre-computer times). I also find it difficult when my customers call, email, and message me online. Then all of the important pieces I need to create their logo are everywhere and hard to picture at once. I have "Sticky Notes" on my computer so I usually deal with it like that. I cut/paste all the info. I will need there and pull up as needed. If you don't have that you can always make yourself a word doc. or do the other dreaded notebook writing thing. Which incidentally I still do and prefer for large projects.
All in all the most important thing to do is slow down! Read carefully and concisely and don't plow through information. I've learned this the hard way and had to spend days going back over things. Nothing is more embarrassing than admitting to a client you missed some vital piece of the project due to your own inability to read details. Plus, everyone wants to feel that they are your only client and that everything they say is being heard.
More to come on steering your client in the right direction. Who's interviewing who? It's kind of an offshoot of this, but so much harder!
Thanks for reading!
T♥
What formats and sizes will you need for each piece of this package. If you don’t know at this point we can discuss it when I start.
Where will you be using the logo?
Where/how will you print out your business cards, letterhead, and envelopes?
Will you be editing these elements yourself once you receive them? What programs do you intend to use for this?
Exact wording for every piece of this package including logo.
Color and font style preference (Such as Script, Print, Handwriting, or Actual Font).
All site addresses, files, and information that are relevant.
Graphic Ideas/Preferences
Will you be copyrighting this logo?
Short Summary of Business
Email Address
Phone Number if you wish to correspond this way.
How soon do you need this completed?
Anything else you feel I should know regarding your design needs.
No matter what you do nothing will cover everything that is in the client's head. So out of all of the questions here you need to really remember to get answers to these three;
What formats do you need?
Will you be revising this yourself?
Do you plan on copyrighting this image?
Otherwise, there is going to be a HUGE problem that will take hours to fix after completing your project.
Sometimes you will have a client who just flat out refuses to put in writing what they want/expect. Or only partially answers these questions. I usually like to speak with them on the phone in this case. When asking questions it helps to take notes (like in the pre-computer times). I also find it difficult when my customers call, email, and message me online. Then all of the important pieces I need to create their logo are everywhere and hard to picture at once. I have "Sticky Notes" on my computer so I usually deal with it like that. I cut/paste all the info. I will need there and pull up as needed. If you don't have that you can always make yourself a word doc. or do the other dreaded notebook writing thing. Which incidentally I still do and prefer for large projects.
All in all the most important thing to do is slow down! Read carefully and concisely and don't plow through information. I've learned this the hard way and had to spend days going back over things. Nothing is more embarrassing than admitting to a client you missed some vital piece of the project due to your own inability to read details. Plus, everyone wants to feel that they are your only client and that everything they say is being heard.
More to come on steering your client in the right direction. Who's interviewing who? It's kind of an offshoot of this, but so much harder!
Thanks for reading!
T♥
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
FREE PIF Pink Bird Banner
Just another little freebie 'cause I love you guys!
Right click, save as, voila!
T♥
Right click, save as, voila!
T♥
When it rains, it pours...
NEVER say you are worried there is no more work, because you will wake up on Monday morning (which is coincidentally your son's BDay), and have a repeat of last week's craziness! I've honestly had to put the message out that I'm taking clients right now for next week and even then I might have to open up August.
No, no, not complaining. Just unbelievable how this economy has effected my business. All the people who were laid off and unemployed are now in need of graphic designers for their own business branding. Everybody is so scared of losing a job that they got smart and created their own! Which is extremely beneficial to moi! lol
I'm going to post some of my latest designs soon, I know I always enjoy seeing what others are creating.
Also, why not connect to me on LinkedIn? I just started on there, (okay, I just remembered I had an account;) and I'd love to add you all and give you a recommendation.
Thanks for reading...
T♥
No, no, not complaining. Just unbelievable how this economy has effected my business. All the people who were laid off and unemployed are now in need of graphic designers for their own business branding. Everybody is so scared of losing a job that they got smart and created their own! Which is extremely beneficial to moi! lol
I'm going to post some of my latest designs soon, I know I always enjoy seeing what others are creating.
Also, why not connect to me on LinkedIn? I just started on there, (okay, I just remembered I had an account;) and I'd love to add you all and give you a recommendation.
Thanks for reading...
T♥
Monday, July 12, 2010
AVATAR
First let me say that I LOVE the real Avatar and I was beyond happy to see any version of it. Although I really enjoyed watching this movie, it was nothing like avatar.
Problems, problems, problems!
These characters are ASIAN!!! Not from England, America, nor India. So what's up w/these people in the movie? I don't want to see a British Grandma telling an old story, this isn't frickin Narnia.
Pronunciation! People please, fans of Avatar do recall the names of the characters. Need I say more?
Uncle Iro. One of the most beloved characters of all time. He appears as a fat tea sipping jolly old elf in the real avatar, that eventually disrobes and is shown as a muscular hero. His appreciation of the old ways and spirits is like his nephew's conscience. Shamma Lamma destroyed Uncle Iro in this and I'm sure he will pay...
What can you expect when the "Avatar" movie forces Shamma Lamma to use the title "The Last Airbender"? Incidentally, Avatar sucked:( Stupid blue people stealing my Aang's name...
So if my rant isn't enough, (which if you love Avatar it's not going to be:) please visit here for another chuckle:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-5806-the-last-airbender-movie/
Today I will try and push past this movie disaster and as soon as my kids get up we're celebrating the Bday.
Other exciting thing coming up, Kathy and Maggie Griffin are coming to Borders!!!! So I'm sure I will have pics and commentary later this week for you all.
Thanks for passing the days with me!
T♥
P.S. Everything can't be work! Boring, boring, blech:(
Problems, problems, problems!
These characters are ASIAN!!! Not from England, America, nor India. So what's up w/these people in the movie? I don't want to see a British Grandma telling an old story, this isn't frickin Narnia.
Pronunciation! People please, fans of Avatar do recall the names of the characters. Need I say more?
Uncle Iro. One of the most beloved characters of all time. He appears as a fat tea sipping jolly old elf in the real avatar, that eventually disrobes and is shown as a muscular hero. His appreciation of the old ways and spirits is like his nephew's conscience. Shamma Lamma destroyed Uncle Iro in this and I'm sure he will pay...
What can you expect when the "Avatar" movie forces Shamma Lamma to use the title "The Last Airbender"? Incidentally, Avatar sucked:( Stupid blue people stealing my Aang's name...
So if my rant isn't enough, (which if you love Avatar it's not going to be:) please visit here for another chuckle:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-5806-the-last-airbender-movie/
Today I will try and push past this movie disaster and as soon as my kids get up we're celebrating the Bday.
Other exciting thing coming up, Kathy and Maggie Griffin are coming to Borders!!!! So I'm sure I will have pics and commentary later this week for you all.
Thanks for passing the days with me!
T♥
P.S. Everything can't be work! Boring, boring, blech:(
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Posting, posting, posting...
A lot of posts these past couple of days! Now y'all know why my main blog has a header that says "I Blog Like You Twitter". In fact, I may make a graphic of that soon and copyright it. So shhh!!
Really no biz to speak of, got some logos to work on tomorrow and maybe finish up some stationary. Per request I will be at some time posting music from "The Band". They made me sing all day and now I can barely talk! Which made everyone else in the family pretty darn happy!
Anyhoo, tomorrow is my oldest son's BDay and he is turning 14. I know everyone says where the heck did the time go? But I feel like it's been a long road uphill, then a couple of slips back down again. So I'm ready to move on and push this kid through High School! My other son is starting middle school and I'm more nervous than he is.
Tomorrow, Aquarium, work, and watching other people eat cake!
T♥
"The Midlife Crisis"
So what's a By Tara blog without some personal information? A blog no one wants to read, that's what! If you have followed my other blog, Jewelry by Tara you know a lot already about the wackiness that goes on in my life. The sad thing is, the weirdest stuff doesn't even make it into the blog!
Today's Sunday fun is that the "band" is getting together to jam at my house. My kids like to fondly call my husband's band "The Midlife Crisis". I like to call it a migraine, but who the heck cares what I think?
Yes, my husband is a drummer in a band, a pilot/aerobatics flyer, and part owner of a securities firm. No, I wouldn't believe me either but it's actually true!
Back to the band thingy, not only do I get to hear the sound of drums/guitar/base etc. for most of the weekend, (who am I kidding, most of my life:*( but, now they are roping me into being their singer. What do they want me to sing? ZZ Top, Creedence, everything that sounds ridiculous coming out of a girl's mouth. I have forced them to move towards Led Zeppelin so I can at least writhe around on the floor and scream. Does get some of the feedback stress out. Both the kids are making a break for it soon when they get here. Can I blame them? Between the 4 chihuahuas howling, me singing, and dad causing a quake, who would want to be in this house?
More shared personal experiences to come...
Thanks for supportin'
T☺
Today's Sunday fun is that the "band" is getting together to jam at my house. My kids like to fondly call my husband's band "The Midlife Crisis". I like to call it a migraine, but who the heck cares what I think?
Yes, my husband is a drummer in a band, a pilot/aerobatics flyer, and part owner of a securities firm. No, I wouldn't believe me either but it's actually true!
Back to the band thingy, not only do I get to hear the sound of drums/guitar/base etc. for most of the weekend, (who am I kidding, most of my life:*( but, now they are roping me into being their singer. What do they want me to sing? ZZ Top, Creedence, everything that sounds ridiculous coming out of a girl's mouth. I have forced them to move towards Led Zeppelin so I can at least writhe around on the floor and scream. Does get some of the feedback stress out. Both the kids are making a break for it soon when they get here. Can I blame them? Between the 4 chihuahuas howling, me singing, and dad causing a quake, who would want to be in this house?
More shared personal experiences to come...
Thanks for supportin'
T☺
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I got the feedback blues:*(
Woe is me it's happening again... feedback that's unfair and never goes away. I will say this about Etsy, they at least have the Kiss 'n' Makeup feature. I'm on several freelance sites and it's been a week from h*ll with some real schmucks leaving me feedback that I feel was completely undeserved.
So what to do? Well, see the post 3 down and weed out the bad ones from the get go. My only bad feedback I ever got, (which incidentally was this week), were from people who didn't pay and tried to get something for nothing. I'm not going to get into details, but if you work for 2 weeks on something for $50, don't get paid, and then they want you to do some custom illustration on top of it, you should get some extra dinero for it! So people get pissed when I finally grew a long enough spine to put a stop to it.
This is my future thought on these clients. If you deal with people that don't respect what you do and only pick you because your logo design is cheap, you can expect to be treated cheaply. Don't do it! As with the RUN away below, you need to charge more.
Okay, now I will take my own lesson and probably forget it and do an entire corporate identity package for $100.
If you want to take a look at my Jewelry Blog, I just posted a new feature.
Love ya all, thanks for following!
So what to do? Well, see the post 3 down and weed out the bad ones from the get go. My only bad feedback I ever got, (which incidentally was this week), were from people who didn't pay and tried to get something for nothing. I'm not going to get into details, but if you work for 2 weeks on something for $50, don't get paid, and then they want you to do some custom illustration on top of it, you should get some extra dinero for it! So people get pissed when I finally grew a long enough spine to put a stop to it.
This is my future thought on these clients. If you deal with people that don't respect what you do and only pick you because your logo design is cheap, you can expect to be treated cheaply. Don't do it! As with the RUN away below, you need to charge more.
Okay, now I will take my own lesson and probably forget it and do an entire corporate identity package for $100.
If you want to take a look at my Jewelry Blog, I just posted a new feature.
Love ya all, thanks for following!
It's here! And more news.....
Update....
Late last night, (PST), I finally got to post our NEW affordably priced logo design.
Back To Basics Logo
$30 for 3 mock ups and 6 revisions!
Still going strong! Thank you to all my dedicated thread killers, this one has been going for months!
Win a FREE Professional Business Logo Threadkiller
Thank you, thank you to all of my wonderful Etsy friends who have helped me resucitate this dead blog after 2 months. I'm a workaholic, but I always find time to blog because I enjoy it. The past couple of months had taken it's toll with freelance off Etsy work, kids, etc. and I just couldn't get it together. Thank you all for sticking w/me and continuing to use my services! How much I appreciate it you will never know.
T♥
Late last night, (PST), I finally got to post our NEW affordably priced logo design.
Back To Basics Logo
$30 for 3 mock ups and 6 revisions!
Still going strong! Thank you to all my dedicated thread killers, this one has been going for months!Win a FREE Professional Business Logo Threadkiller
Thank you, thank you to all of my wonderful Etsy friends who have helped me resucitate this dead blog after 2 months. I'm a workaholic, but I always find time to blog because I enjoy it. The past couple of months had taken it's toll with freelance off Etsy work, kids, etc. and I just couldn't get it together. Thank you all for sticking w/me and continuing to use my services! How much I appreciate it you will never know.T♥
Friday, July 9, 2010
Coming soon...
So as per the usual, when I decide to use the Etsy services I pay for Etsy craps out on us!
I am going to post the latest/greatest logo service ever! You get the same service as my usual basic logo for 1/2 price! Just $30 and you will receive...
3 Mock Ups
6 Revisions on Your Sample Choice
All the formats you need!
So if money is tight for you, (like the rest of us, thanks economy:( you can still afford to put a new face on your company today!
Also, I have been playing around again w/the fabulous Adobe Illustrator CS5 and Photoshop CS5 and I have come up with some new clip art animals and such! So look for those soon in my Etsy shop because I love you guys!
T♥
I am going to post the latest/greatest logo service ever! You get the same service as my usual basic logo for 1/2 price! Just $30 and you will receive...
3 Mock Ups
6 Revisions on Your Sample Choice
All the formats you need!
So if money is tight for you, (like the rest of us, thanks economy:( you can still afford to put a new face on your company today!
Also, I have been playing around again w/the fabulous Adobe Illustrator CS5 and Photoshop CS5 and I have come up with some new clip art animals and such! So look for those soon in my Etsy shop because I love you guys!
T♥
Do not walk away, RUN!!!!
As a graphic designer I live to please all of my clients and it is always my hope that the respect/care I give them will be returned. Through many pitfalls I've compiled this list that will help you recognize when to say "when" in picking clients.
The quick fix...
Be warned, most people who claim any job as "quick" have no idea what goes into design work. Sometimes these jobs turn into the most time consuming of all and the client will probably not understand why.
It's so simple!
What looks simple to a potential client may in reality be a huge project! If you were unfamiliar with all that goes into a design and you drew/scanned something, you might think it would be easy too! But as we all know, a lot more work and thought can into something simple than something that appears complex.
This should take you no time at all therefore, I am paying you next to nothing.
Pretty self-explanatory but let's address this anyway. I have NEVER taken a job like this where it didn't turn into twice the amount of time and a lost of wages. That's not to say there isn't someone nice out there who just needs a simple tweak on their logo. But most "nice" people do not admit up front they don't think the skill to do the job is worth anything. Next!
I could do it myself, but I haven't got the time.
Another one to run from because either;
They are another designer and it's never going to meet their expectations.
The client really knows nothing about design but wants you to think they do.
Either way it's kind of shady to begin with and I'd stay away from it.
To all my fabulous clients out there this obviously does not apply to you! Especially since I haven't take a job with these phrases in a long, long, time. But hopefully, you can avoid this too and take a tip from my own mistakes.
More to come as I bring this blog back to life...
T
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)